Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology enables information to be transmitted over a large bandwidth and can enable high data rate wireless connectivity. UWB technology is described in a set of specifications defined by the WiMedia Alliance (referred to hereinafter as “WiMedia”). In a typical scenario, a host controller wirelessly communicates with one or more devices. A host controller can be embodied on a computing device such as a desktop or laptop computer.
Ultra-Wideband hardware includes a radio controller sub function called the “URC” and one or more sub-functions which run on top of the radio and are considered clients of the radio. Each of the clients is referred to as a Protocol Adaption Layer or “PAL”. Today, PALs exist in the form of Wireless USB PALs, but in the future different bus technologies will inevitably lead to the incorporation of different PALs such as, for example, WUSB PALs, WLP PALs, Bluetooth PALs, vendor-specific PALs and the like.
Individual PALs are utilized to establish connections with associated devices and can share the same UWB radio. As such, hardware and software stacks can be designed to support multiple different types of PALs. One of the challenges associated with enabling wireless connectivity between host controllers and associated devices is to develop two-way interfaces that enable communication between a URC driver (referred to as “URCD”) and PAL drivers.